Thiourea bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica with ultra-small Pd nanoparticles for coupling reactions

A synthesis of thiourea-bridged mesoporous organosilica is reported. Using transmission electron microscopy, low-angle XRD measurements and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms the formation of a highly ordered mesoporous structure with a high surface area ( >400 m2 g-1 ) has been confirmed. Deposition of Pd nanoparticles inside the mesopores resulted in a material that showed excellent catalytic activity in a Suzuki-coupling reaction and retained this activity over several consecutive runs.